Bullriding returns to Gonzales

Cody Nance, who finished second at last year's Professional Bull Riding event in Gonzales, shows off his poise on the back of a bull.

Pre-sales for the event are going on at the following locations until 5 p.m. Friday. Pre-sales are $20 for adults and $8 for children

• E-Barr Feed Inc

212 St Louis St. 830-672-6515

• Gonzales Chamber of Commerce

414 St Lawrence St. 830-672-6532

IF YOU GO

WHERE: J.B. Wells Arena

2301 Co. Rd. 197 Gonzales

WHEN: 7 p.m.

COST: $25 for adults, $10 for children

Presales for the event are going on at the following locations until 5 p.m. Friday. Presale tickets are $20 for adults and $8 for children.

• E-Barr Feed Inc.

212 St Louis St. 830-672-6515

• Gonzales Chamber of Commerce

414 St Lawrence St. 830-672-6532

As a former professional bull rider, Bo Davis enjoyed the thrill of hanging with bulls.

The 51-year-old Gonzales resident hasn't rode a bull since he was 25, but that doesn't mean Davis stays away from the sport.

The Professional Bull Riding rodeo in Gonzales, now in its fourth year, is the marquee event Davis looks forward to each year. The rodeo Saturday is the closest he gets to being involved with bull riding.

"This is our own blood, sweat and tears working into this event," said Davis, who owns a production company in Gonzales. "The city of Gonzales really got behind me and sponsored this event. It's just another really good event we have in town."

The rodeo will take place at the J.B. Wells Arena, where an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 spectators will attend, Davis said.

Seeing bull riders is nothing new for Davis. Some spectators attending, he said, may have not witnessed bull riding live.

"They get to watch man versus beast," Davis said. "They get to watch an average man that weighs 150 pounds against a 1,900-pound animal."

Of the 50 riders that will compete in the rodeo, 15 of them will compete in eight-second rides, in which they will try to stay on a bull. Professionals including Rocky McDonald and Cody Nance will be participating in the event.

"It's high octane, high energy music," Davis said about the event.

Shelly Keenan has been living in Gonzales for two years and has seen the impact of PBR rodeo in the community. Keenan, 51, was a professional bull rider for 17 years and helps Davis promote the event.

"You don't get a lot professional bull riding events in smaller towns," Keenan said. "This gives us a chance to bring in some of the best riders around. The city of Gonzales has embraced it."